Of Broken Bones and Promises
by jace-san
Summary: AU fic. Fate gets a minor sprain but makes it worse. Nanoha blows a gasket and later finds out Fate's secret. What's going to happen to them now? "THERE ARE THINGS WE'RE BETTER OFF NOT KNOWING." NANOFATE, R&R!
1. Chapter 1

A/N: it's kinda long but read it please? Its got uh… IMPORTANT stuff in it =)

I know I promised you guys Chapter 13 of ULS after I got back from my long, long, long hiatus. I haven't finished Chapter 13 yet. I'm going to put it _on hold_ for now.

Boo~~!!

I'm mean, I know. I really don't want to finish it now (as in like right now, _now_). Because then, it'd be forced. And when my stories are forced I stray from the plot and the chapter would probably _come out_—no pun intended—so bad. I owe it to you guys to give you a chapter that's _ACTUALLY_ worth reading :)

Anyway, I came up with this fiction instead. It's either going to be a 3 or 4 chapter story, depending on how long the ending's going to be. Long story short: as _compensation_ for the delay of ULS, I'm posting this fiction.

Big ups to **ALEX :)))** for giving me the idea for this story as well as giving me _permission_ to post it here for all the reader's to well, READ… and **review** ;) ily!

Oh yeah…

_CONGRATULATIONS_ are in order you guys! Big ups to **pearl4eyes** my beta reader for this fic… yeah. Anyway, you did a _really_ great job with the draft I sent you. great working with you :))) thanks for suggeting the title too! :)))

Oh, and I hope whole "tami-chin to jace-san" hasn't caused any confusion. But it's fine if you guys call me tami-chin or tami. I'm still the same person :) After all, my email address won't change regardless of the pen name I use here on FF.

The song is THE MESS I MADE by PARACHUTE. Sadly, the usual disclaimer applies. :0 Well, enough of my rambling; on to the story…

HAPPY READING! (I hope :3)

--

**Of Broken Bones and Promises**

**_A fiction by Jace-san_**

Tuesday morning…

I leaned on the bathroom sink and stared at my face in the mirror. _Shit, even my eye bags have eye bags!_ I raised my arms in annoyance, accidentally tipping my weight to the right.

"Ow!"

Did I mention that the side of my foot was swollen?

Sprain.

_Yeah, I know. It sucks._

Leaning on the frame of the bathroom door, I glanced at the made-up—_empty_—bed beside mine. It has been three days since she last slept on that—_her_—bed. She hasn't come back to the—_our_—dorm room either… all because of a stupid argument.

I heard my phone ring from the other side of the room. I walked—_limped_—over to it and read the message.

**Congratulations Fate, you're in the team!  
-Ginga**

I sighed to myself. After what happened three days ago, making the team doesn't seem as appealing anymore.

**--**

Three days ago

_"I can't believe you went to school and tried out, the day after you got a sprain no less," Nanoha screamed._

_I carefully sat on my bed, holding the ice pack against the swollen ankle. I sprained my ankle when I lost my footing while going down the stairs yesterday. Thank god i didn't break it! __I would've died if I fractured my ankle._

_"Would you look at me Fate-chan?" She held my chin tightly around her fingers, forcing me to look at her. And I did. _

_The expression on her face was of pure anger._

_But me being… well, me I didn't care._

_"What did you want me to do? Sit there while the others were playing? You know how much I've wanted to play college volleyball, Nanoha! The try-outs are held only every other year!" I yelled back._

_I don't think it fazed her. Yeah, not really... after all, I was sitting on the bed with her towering over me. Not really an ideal position when you're arguing with your girlfriend._

"_Well, excuse me for _caring_."_

"_Oh please. Don't pull the caring thing out again, Nanoha," I warned her. She's always been overprotective of me. Don't get me wrong, I'm fine with that. I think it's sweet, endearing even. But right now... it's getting on my nerves._

"_What did you say?!"_

_In the seven months that we've been together, Nanoha has never raised her voice, not once. Well she has, but not like _this_. Nanoha was caring and thoughtful, not cold and hotheaded. I wanted to wrap her in my arms and tell her I was sorry. But the thing was, I had no reason to apologize. All I did was try out for the team. Was that so wrong?_

No_._

"_You always, _always_ overreact when I get injured. Look," I lifted the ice pack and revealed the swollen, purplish expanse of flesh that was my ankle. It wasn't a pretty sight, but what could I do about it now, right? "I. Have. A. _Sprain_. I'm not disabled. My leg wasn't amputated. And I am not dying! So stop being an idiot and calm down. I'm fine!" I waved her off._

"_Fine?! The side of your foot looks like raw beef steak for crying out loud! And you're saying you're fine?" she said, throwing her arms up in the air._

_I rolled my eyes in exasperation. "Why are you so god damn worked up about it?! It's my foot that's sprained, not yours. I'm the one with raw pork chop for a foot, not you. Geez!"_

"_Beef steak, Fate-chan! Beef steak!" she corrected me._

"_Fine! Beefsteak! The point is my foot might've worsened but only by a bit. No big deal," I said, slowly placing the ice pack back_ _on the swollen ankle. "Ah!"_

_Seeing me wince, she averted her eyes and instead, stared at the bedside drawer as if it were the seventh freaking wonder of the world._

"_I see that," she said in a calmer voice._

"_Then why the hell are you so mad at me?"_

_She whipped her head and looked at me, her eyes aflame. "You tried out for the team after I specifically told you not to! That's why I'm mad!"_

"_So?!"_

_Her jaw dropped. "I did not just hear you say that."_

_I took a deep breath and exhaled slowly._

"_Nanoha… Sweetie, I'm sorry okay?" I tried to reach for her hand, but the constant pain in my foot made it difficult. Seeing me struggle, Nanoha took the initiative and sat beside me on the bed. I continued, "I didn't try out for the team to spite you, you know that. Besides, you weren't supposed to know and—"_

_Oh Shit._

_Did I just—_

"_What?!" _

_Yep. I did._

"_Did I say that out loud?" I said, closing both eyes for fear that Death was staring at me right in the face._

"FATE. TESTAROSSA. HARLAOWN!_" I felt the bed shift the moment she screamed my name. __There's just something frightening about your girlfriend calling you by your full name… angry voice included. Okay, it's mainly the voice_,_ but the whole 'full name' thing _does_ add to the effect._

_I squirmed uncomfortably from my position on the bed. "S-see! You're overrea—"_

_I barely finished my sentence. __I was honestly scared out of my wits… sort of. __Her brows were scrunched together, face visibly fuming. She clenched her jaws, her lips were drawn in a thin line. With the way she was glaring at me I could have sworn she was trying to burn a hole through me!_

_Oh god. She was so scary, but damn it!_

_My girlfriend looked _hot… _really, really, really hot. __Okay, here I was_ _looking at Nanoha—who I'm sure was repressing the urge to kill me—and all I could think about was how hot she was._

_There is something _seriously_ wrong with me._

"_I don't give a damn!" Her voice pulled me back to reality. "_'_Wasn't supposed to know'? So you were hiding it from me?"_

_Wait… huh? Wha—_

_My eyes looked up at her face. She's…_

_I looked away._

"_It…It doesn't matter anyway." I closed my eyes tightly, trying to forget the look on her face. "You've found out."_

_She looked… what's the word?_

"_That's not the freaking point! Did you know how I felt when Hayate told me you tried out this morning?! I was hurt."_

_Yeah. Hurt. _That_… that was the word I was looking for._

"_And who wouldn't be?! What if you told me not to drink but then I did. Would you be fine with it?!"_

"…" _Drop it._

"_Would you?!"_

"…" _Drop it please?_

"_Well… answer me!"_

_Fine._

"_No."_

"_Exactly! And then you tell me you were hiding it from me? How am I supposed to trust you now?"_

_I looked back at her, shocked._

"_What?! Wait… Nanoha, that's just stupid. It was one little thing!"_

_All I did was try out. I might not have told her about it, but what harm could it have done? And for her not to trust me because of that?! That's just… stupid! That's what it was! Stupid!_

"_If I can't trust you with _one little thing,_ how am I supposed to trust you when it comes to big things, Fate-chan? We promised to tell each other everything."_

"_We did. I don't—"_

"_What else have you been lying to me about huh, Fate-chan? Let me guess, Aunt Lindy didn't really _visit _you two months ago… on the same day my family had the reunion. You just made up an excuse so you wouldn't meet my parents."_

_I felt my heart leap into my throat. How did she—? I couldn't answer her. It'd only solidify the fact._

_That I lied…_

_To her…_

_To Nanoha…_

"_Well? I'm waiting!"_

"_I-I… I…"_

_She brought a hand to her mouth. "_Oh my god. _I just made that up. Fate— you... y-you missed it on purpose…"_

_It was a statement, not a question._

_I panicked. "I-I was nervous! What did you expect?" I reasoned._

"_I don't know... tell me the truth?! That seems pretty logical." She took a step back. _

_Then another._

_And another._

_Towards the door._

"_Na-nanoha, where are you going?" I attempted to stand up, not caring about my raw beefsteak of a foot. As I took the first step, the pain that shot through my foot was too much for me to take. I fell back on the bed albeit unwillingly._

"_I-I don't know…" I heard her whisper to herself._

_Another step._

_Something gripped at me. It felt like I couldn't breathe for some odd reason. Then, the words just came out of my mouth._

_"You don't know what?"_

"…_if I can trust you anymore!" she screamed as her back finally hit the door._

"_Wait. Nanoha, no. You can trust me. I love you!" I said desperately._

"_No. You don't lie to someone you love. You just… you don't," she said, tears forming in her eyes. Her left hand was feeling the door behind her._

_She was looking for the doorknob._

_No._

_I stood up._

_I wasn't sure why I wanted to cry. Was it because of the throbbing pain from my swollen foot? Was it the thought of Nanoha breaking up with me?_

_Fuck the questions! Nanoha was going to leave._

_I took a step. Oh god, it hurt like hell! __I can _do_ this. __As I took three more steps, Nanoha stopped looking for the doorknob. My resolve grew._

"_It was just a one time—" She looked at me incredulously. "Okay… a two time thing." The pain was gradually becoming unbearable and I was still a long way from her. I leaned on the back of the couch. "It won't happen again. I promise."_

_An eerie silence followed._

_I waited for her to say something… anything! After what seemed like an hour, she opened her mouth._

"_I can't trust you or your promises anymore, Fate."_

_I couldn't believe it._

_Creek... Bang!_

_I slumped down on the floor. No one—not even God—could've stopped the tears that cascaded down my face._

_Then it hit me_.

"I can't trust you or your promises anymore, Fate."

_She didn't use the honorific._

_I cried even harder._

--

That's it :) Well, please review. Oh wait I forgot 3 more things…

1) Thanks **Lex**!! :)))

2) Thanks **pearl4eyes**… again :)

3) Shout out to** xYuki** too!! Thanks for helping me :))

-jace-san


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N & Review Reps :) : **

**Laina-kun: **yey! You were the first to review!

**xYuki: **thank you for the review but I still think you're a bit easy on me :] anyway, say hi to "Ni-chan" for us. I find it weird calling her that. Hehe

**yojimbo89, lily **and** KillerQueen118: **thanks you guys :]

**chkim218: **i agree with you. lies do hurt. But I still wonder why we don't stop telling them. Hmm *ponders*

**Mikoto:**of course they'll make up. They're Fate and Nanoha. :) thanks for the review and for waiting (although not patiently) lol

**Setsunakobayashi: **I'm sorry this chapter took so long :]

**Yuki-Kamishiro: **thanks for the idea of making it Nanoha's POV. It was originally a 3rd person POV but we decided against it. A hot kiss scene? Idk? I'll think about it.

**Liithachan:**you'd kill Fate 'cause of that? T_T aww please don't. I couldn't finish this fic if you did :0 "and only because the A/N and the style of writing XD" really?? :D

A/N (alex):

Hello everyone! I'm Alex, the one who wrote this chapter. Well, most of it anyway. First off, I'm not really the writing type. Jace-san was asking for help so I offered. This chapter as well as the rest is actually done. But there were some glitches as well as revealations these past few weeks so I hope you guys would forgive Jace-san for the delay. I'm mostly at fault too. Sorry for that.

Thank you to all to **Yuki-Kamishiro **again. I originally made this in the 3rd person perspective but because of your review and some inputs (JC**: meat**, I mean you!) we had to do some editing and whatnot. Sorry for the confusion and the delay. =)

Anyhow,** I hope** that just like all of Jace-san's previous fanfictions, **you guys would also enjoy reading this one! =))**

Shoutout to **meat**, **xYuki** and **Ni-chan!**

--

**Of Broken Bones and Promises**

_**A fiction by Jace-san**_

**Chapter 2**

**--**

_Sunday morning…_

"_You told her what?!"_

"_I didn't actually _tell_ her. She… guessed."_

"_What is wrong with you?"_

"_It couldn't be helped. It was written all over my face!"_

"_You shouldn't have told her it was true either. You've already met her parents last month! There was no need for her to find out about you getting cold feet two months ago."_

"_I panicked!"_

"_You should've tried harder to hide it."_

"_From Nanoha?"_

"_I said try, didn't I?!"_

"…"

"_I can't hide anything from her, you know that."_

"_What about the tryouts… and Aunt Lindy's visit and—"_

"_Alright, fine! I get it! It was a stupid thing to do and I regret it."_

"'_It' being…?"_

"_The tryouts…"_

"_You're an idiot."_

"_Regret what then?"_

"_That you lied to Nanoha in the first place."_

"…"

"_Fate… You there?"_

"_Yeah, yeah I'm here. Hey, Signum?"_

"_Hmm?"_

"_Why do you always have to be right?"_

"_You can't defy the laws of nature. Now, stop mopping you blonde monkey and find a way to get her back."_

"_I don't know… I really messed up."_

"_You love her, don't you?"_

"_More than life itself."_

"_Good. Now, go."_

"_Mm."_

_Click._

--

Saturday evening…

"What is wrong with me?" I whispered to myself sullenly as I looked up at the crimson sky.

Why is it that I remember _her_ in everything: the sky, the music, the ice sculpture on the buffet table… the girl wearing that ugly orange dress in the third table? Okay, maybe not _everything_. But if _she_ wore that dress, I bet _she'd_ look gorgeous.

Oh god, kill me now.

Despite its hideous color, I did think _she'd_ look great on it. She can pull anything off, compared to me who only wore a turquoise mini dress, gold bracelets and three-inch high heels.

I barely looked presentable.

I knew I was supposed to hate her and all, but I don't. I really don't. Not in the least. I think I'll never be able to hate her actually. I love her too much to feel that way. Although a part of me does feel betrayed, an even bigger part of me just wants to run up to her dorm, take her in my arms and forgive her… even if she did lie to me.

But I know it's not that simple.

Nothing ever is.

I looked around and found myself admiring what Hayate had done with the place. Christmas lights and multi-colored ribbons were everywhere. She even had their once swamp-looking pool cleaned for the party; it even looked _inviting_. I thought she'd never get it done. The place was a bit crowded though, what with all the round tables encircling the small dance floor and makeshift stage. I did however love the band and the bar at the far end of the patio. I'll have to remember to go there later tonight.

**I've been beaten down, I've been kicked around**

**But she takes it all for me**

**And I lost my faith in my darkest days**

**But she makes me want to believe**

"Come on Nanoha! Turn that frown upside down. Here, drink this," Shamal said as she handed me a glass of gin tonic. "If you're not gonna talk, you could at least drink something."

We were sitting one table away from the dance floor. I wanted to sit here of course. I'd rather have us sit here than a have to look at all the lovey-dovey couples out there on the dance floor. Why can't they all just get a room? So I'm a bit bitter tonight, _who cares_.

I took the glass and drank the entire thing in one go before groaning. It was a little too strong for my taste. "There, I'm done."

I chanced a look at Shamal. She wore a red spaghetti-strapped satin that reached mid-thigh, red and black enamel bracelets, and a pair of black stiletto heels.

"Signum, go get her another drink," I heard her say.

I looked up at the girl in question. Signum sat up from her seat beside Shamal. She was wearing a white long-sleeved button-up shirt, sleek black pants, and black heels. "Fine, but I am _not_ carrying her all the way to our dorm if she passes out."

**They call her love, love, love, love, love**

**They call her love, love, love, love, love**

**She is love and she is all I need**

**She's all I need**

They looked so great together. Too bad Shamal was too busy comforting me. And I was too selfish to let them spend time together.

Here it comes… cue guilty look.

I really am the worst.

Shamal turned to me again. "We came here for a reason Nanoha, and that is to get you to stop sulking." She continued, "So come on, lets dance." She took my hand and dragged me to the dance floor.

Alright fine. She _half-dragged_ me.

**Well I had my ways, they were all in vain**

**And she waited patiently**

**It was all the same, all my pride and shame**

**But she put me on my feet**

**  
**"Stop it Shamal. I'm tired. The last thing I want to do is dance." I said, uninterested and drew my hand back.

As I was about to sit down, a guy came up to me and asked, "Would you like to dance?" He had jet-black hair and was wearing a black dress shirt and dark jeans.

He _was_pretty cute. Maybe one dance wouldn't hurt. Plus it'd give Shamal and Signum some time alone.

"Sure."

We both exchanged awkward smiles as he led me to the dance floor.

**Well I had my ways, they were all in vain**

**And she waited patiently**

**It was all the same, all my pride and shame**

**But she put me on my feet**

He wrapped an arm around my waist and held my hand in his. We easily fell into rhythm. But I couldn't help but feel a little uncomfortable. I looked at other people on the dance floor.

No wonder…

They were all giving me weird looks.

My heart fell.

**They call her love, love, love, love, love**

I could hear _her_ voice in my head.

_Nanoha… Sweetie, I'm sorry okay._

**They call her love, love, love, love, love**

_I didn't try out for the team to spite you._

**They call her love, love, love, love, love**

_I-I… I…_

**She is love and she is all I need**

_Wait. Nanoha, no._

**She is love and she is all I need**

_You can trust me._

**She is love and she is all I need…**

_I love you…_

Feeling a huge weight on my shoulders, I let my hands fall to my sides. I gave him a smile—I think—and thanked him for the dance. He did the same and escorted me back to my seat. I sat there, playing with my bracelets as the words kept ringing in my head.

_You can trust me. I love you…_

"Mm… cute guy," a familiar voice said behind me.

A small smile tugged at my lips as I stood up, turned around and hugged her.

--

jace-san here! hope you liked the chapter! please be gentle with the reviews :) **meat **especially. I did a little change up mostly because of what you said. Yeah, i helped her. I just hope lex hasn't read the message. I will kill you if she finds out about it *smiles*

reading your reviews about Fate like "it's all her fault", "lies hurt", "she shouldn't have done that"... etc make me happy and sad at the same time. happy because i was able to rouse those kinds of opinions from you guys and sad because... BECAUSE (xyuki please don't be mean. i already know it's my fault. plus we've made up). Thank you so much for your reviews!!!

How was the chapter?? Penny for your thoughts guys? Review please :)

p.s. sorry again for the delay

-jace-san


	3. Chapter 3

Hey guys! i'm sorry this took a little longer than expected. Next week's gonna be my Finals, i decided to post this one now. uh, so yeah.  
Review Reps:

**Takamachi Nanoha, xYuki and MEAT :): **i miss you guys! sorry i haven't been in touch lately... a lot of stuff came up :((

**chkim218:** what happened to M-F?? it's in this chapter :))

**setsunakobayashi: **nope they haven't made up yet :(( and about your interpretation, just check out this chap :))

**BPHaru: **there are a number of MSLN fics so it's okay if you missed this one. i wasn't even planning on writing this but it just kind of popped up in my head. plus, i had a little help here and there so it all kinda came together. spur of the moment i guess. anyway, i hope you like this story :))

**Yuki-Kamishiro: **it's been a while since i've read a long-ish review. thank you for that... it made my day :)) alex's too so thank you. M-F flashbacks are in this chap. and yes... not seeing each other for a whole week can be rather painful :(( i just hope they make up by the time this fic ends?? hahaha my characters have a mind of their own so i can't really tell :)))) yep! the bold letters are the lyrics. uh, Fate-chan in the end?? idk... you'll just have to read this chap :))

**Fate Trulygood, KillerQueen1****18, yojimbo89, Syaoran Li Clow: **many many many thanks :))

_Thank you so much for all your reviews and I really hope you guys liked the second chapter. I'm not the writer type so i had a little bit of help form Jace-san. I didn't realize how hard it was to write a story so KUDOS to all of the FanFiction writers! I raise my glass to you guys! No more writing for me. I'm leaving all of that to Jace-san now. Again, thank you for taking the time to read the second chapter, this Fiction and all of Jace-san's other Fictions. You guys are the best! xYuki, Nanoha and Niku, I miss you guys. Especially you MEAT =) I hope we can get in touch soon. Maybe after our finals?-Alex_

oh i almost forgot... **i have a poll on my profile**. its' about **ULS**!!! for those who haven't read it yet, i strongly suggest you do :)) and for those who already have please please please vote. the results are going to be crucial for the next 5 chapters. i want to know your opinions and suggestions :))

the italics in this chapter are the flashbacks. e.g : _sunday morning... _if it's in between the lyrics and it's not italicized then it's in real time. hope you guys don't get confused :) oh and the Sunday flashback was taken from chapter 2. Just in case you guys forgot. that's it i guess...?

-jace-san

--

**Of Broken Bones and Promises**

_**A fiction by Jace-san**_

**Chapter 3**

**--**

"Mm, cute guy," a familiar voice said behind her.

A small smile tugged at Nanoha's lips as she turned around and hugged the girl.

"Happy Birthday Hayate," Nanoha greeted.

"Thank you and thanks for coming." As they pulled apart, Hayate gave Nanoha a once over. "You look wonderful," she complimented with a smile. "If I knew you'd be wearing something like this," she said, pointing to the brunette's dress, "I would've worn a bikini, that way I'd look hotter." She gave Nanoha her signature Hayate pose.

Nanoha gave her long-time friend an honest smile. Hayate always knew when to cheer her up.

"At last a smile! I thought your only facial expression was this," Hayate grimaced.

Nanoha gave the girl a playful swat on the arm. "Hey!"

"You've been frowning ever since you got here," she pointed out.

A flash of guilt crossed Nanoha's face.

"Oh, where's my gift?" Hayate asked, quickly changing the subject.

"Uh… I put it on the dining table together with everyone else's gifts," Nanoha replied, jerking a thumb to the direction of the three-storey house.

"Oh, goody!" she said cheerfully, jumping up and down. "By the way, where's Fate?"

Nanoha looked away and folded her arms around her chest defensively.

"I don't know. I'm not her mother."

Hayate scoffed. "Na. No. Ha~ that fight was a week ago! You two should've made up by now."

"Can you just drop it? Please?"

Hayate sighed. "Alright, but we are _so_ having this conversation later tonight. You're lucky I have to host this party."

As she walked away, Hayate pointed a finger at the brunette threateningly. Nanoha just rolled her eyes.

After a bit of entertaining and drinking with her guests, Hayate went up the make-shift stage and took the microphone one of the band members handed to her. She cleared her throat and began. "Good evening everyone! First off, I'd like to thank you all for coming tonight. I know being nineteen isn't as big as being eighteen, but a party's a party, right?" She paused as everyone cheered. "Second, for those who brought gifts, a million thanks. After all no gift, no entry, right?" she laughed. "I'm kidding, I'm kidding."

A number of relieved sighs could be heardall over the patio.

"That's it I guess. Have fun tonight! Enjoy the food and the music."

Before the short-haired girl could come down the stage, everyone started singing the 'Happy Birthday' song.

"Is everyone having a good time?" the voice rang as everyone started eating.

Nanoha turned her head to the direction of the stage at a neck-breaking speed.

"Fate," Signum and Shamal said in unison.

The blonde was on stage wearing an onyx cropped jacket, a lavender silk shirt, tight fitting jeans and a pair of purple gladiators. Her hair was held up in a high ponytail by a—

—white ribbon…

—Nanoha 's white ribbon.

"Many happy returns to the birthday girl. I wish you all the best. Oh, my gift's the huge box with the blue ribbon on top."

Nanoha looked at Hayate who simply shrugged and gave her a smug grin.

"The song is_ 'The Mess I Made' _by Parachute. I'm aware that it's sung by a guy so I'll try to turn it into my own version. Anyway, it's about regretting the fact that you didn't try harder… doing nothing about it… and realizing your mistakes." Fate took a deep breath. "I really am sorry."

The piano accompanied Fate's pristine voice as she sang the first few verses.

**Should've kissed you there**

**I should've held your face**

**I should've watched those eyes**

**Instead of run in place**

_Sunday morning…_

"_I don't know… I really messed up."_

"_You love her, don't you?"_

"_More than life itself."_

"_Good. Now, go."_

"_Mm."_

_Click._

**I should've called you out**

**I should've said your name**

**I should've turned around**

**I should've looked again**

_Monday afternoon…_

"_Hey Hayate."_

"_Fate… Look, I'm sor-"_

"_No, it's fine… it was my fault for lying to her."_

"_But…"_

"_No, really it's fine. I…uh, I kind of… came here to ask a favor. It's about Nanoha."_

"_Sure! Whatever it is, I'm happy to help."_

"_Thank you."_

"_It's no problem."_

**But oh, I'm staring at the mess I made**

**I'm staring at the mess I made**

**I'm staring at the mess I made**

**As you turn, you take your heart and walk away**

Shamal nudged Nanoha who was staring in utter shock. The brunette shook her head violently and turned to Shamal mouthing, "What?"

The rest of the band came in.

**Should've held my ground**

**I could've been redeemed**

**For every second chance**

**That changed its mind on me**

Shamal looked at Fate then back at Nanoha. "She loves you, you know."

Nanoha felt her heartbeat pick up at Shamal's simple declaration. She almost burst into tears.

**I should've spoken up**

**I should've proudly claimed**

**That oh, my head's to blame**

**For all my heart's mistakes**

_Tuesday afternoon…_

"_How's your ankle?"_

"_How's Nanoha?"_

"_She's fine. Your ankle?"_

"_She's still sleeping in your dorm room, right?"_

"_Yes, she still is. Ankle?"_

"_Has she been eating right?"_

"_Yes."_

"_How about her classes?"_

"_She's doing fine."_

"_Does she have enough clothes?"_

"_Yes."_

"_Are you sure? You can grab some from the drawer over there."_

"_I'm sure but if you insist..."_

"_How about—"_

"_If you ask me one more question about Nanoha, I swear… I'll sprain your other ankle!"_

"_I'm sorry Signum. It's just that… I worry."_

"_I know. We all do…"_

**But oh, I'm staring at the mess I made**

**I'm staring at the mess I made**

**I'm staring at the mess I made**

**As you turn, you take your heart and walk away**

_Wednesday noon…_

"_Where do you want to eat lunch today Nanoha?"_

"_Anywhere's fine Shamal."_

"_Might I suggest the open field beside the Music and Arts building?"_

"_Hey, that's a good idea Signum!"_

"_Yeah, that sounds good. Let's get going."_

"_So… Nanoha, how's your day so far?"_

"_Pretty plain. English was a bore. History was pretty interesting though; the class got into a debate with the teacher. How about you guys?"_

"_Calculus made me want to skewer my brain."_

"_Tell me something I don't know."_

"_That's not funny Signum! It's really was hard and—hey, isn't that Fate over there?"_

"_Where?"_

"_There. I guess her ankle's gotten better."_

"…"

"_Aren't those guys fourth year Music majors? I wonder why she's with them? Nanoha?"_

"_Huh? I don't know?"_

"_Signum?"_

"_Beats me…?"_

**And it's you**

**And it's you**

**And it's you**

**And it's you…**

_Thursday morning…_

"_Okay everybody, practice is over. First years, please take care of the net. Second years, you guys are in charge of returning the balls to the Athletics department."_

"_Yes coach!"_

"_Coach!"_

"_Ah … Fate! How is you ankle? Feeling better?"_

"_Yes, thank you for asking. Coach? I want to… talk to you about something."_

"_Sure what is it?"_

"_Can we go to your office?"_

"_Alright, just let me call the team captain… where's Ginga? Gi—"_

"_No! I've… uh, already talked to her about it."_

"_Okay. Let's head to my office then."_

**And it's falling down**

**As you walk away**

**And it's on me now**

**As you go…**

_Friday…_

"_I'm not sure what I want. Signum, what do you think?"_

"_No clue. I'm not the girly type, remember?"_

"_Just pick a color okay? White, red or blue?"_

"_Can't you just flip a coin or something?"_

"_There are 3 colors to choose from!"_

"_Then find a three-sided coin!"_

"_There is no such thing as a three-sided coin! Come on, just pick a color okay?"_

"_Why don't you go with the blue one, Fate? That's her favorite color right?"_

"_Yeah. But does it look nice?"_

"_Yeah."_

"_You sure?"_

"_I'm sure."_

"_Blue it is."_

"_I am never going shopping with you… ever."_

"_Yeah 'cause you already have Shamal."_

"_Oh shut up. It's not as if I like shopping."_

"_I know. You're just too whipped to turn her down."_

"_Let's head to the counter and pay for this thing already."_

"_Hah! You didn't deny it!"_

"_Whatever…"_

'_I hope she'll like it…'_

**But oh, I'm staring at the mess I made**

**I'm staring at the mess I made**

**I'm staring at the mess I made**

**As you turn, you take your heart and walk away**

Fate held the mic tightly in her hands as she felt her heartbeat start to slow down. The song was almost over and she had yet to find the gorgeous pair of cerulean eyes among the sea of people.

**And it's falling down**

**As you walk away**

**And it's on me now**

**As you go**

'_I can't find her…'_ Fate thought.

**But oh, I'm staring at the mess I made**

**I'm staring at the mess I made**

**I'm staring at the mess I made**

**As you turn, you take your heart and walk away**

The crowd erupted in cheers. Some even twirled their table napkins in the air.

"Thank you," Fate said in a monotone voice. She turned around, stepped off the stage, and quickly made a beeline for the front door of Hayate's house.

It took a while for Nanoha to snap out of her daze but when she did, she stood up instantly and sprinted for the door not caring if anyone saw her. When she reached the front door, she turned the knob and flung the door open and screamed, "Fate!"

"Nanoha," a deep voice greeted behind her.

--

Ta Da! so that's the 3rd chapter... one more to go? idk? maybe two??

tell me what you think :))) **i'd REALLY love it if you guys would REVIEW :) CHECK OUT MY POLE!!!**

-jace-san


	4. Chapter 4

Due to unforeseen uh… stuff, I was forced to post chapter 4 of this story along with the latest chapter of ULS at an even later time. I'm truly sorry for that but it really couldn't be helped. I just regret the fact that I made the readers wait even though chapter 4 of this story was already finished last… last… month? Idk? I can't remember anymore.

Again, I apologize for the wait.

**Review replies:**

**TsurugiNoMiko****:** thank you! *blushes* I think I was really aiming for the anime episode effect. I'm glad I got it right I guess :)

**darkvalk**: déjà vu? Which part? *afraid to know the answer* hehe

**lihber****: **they do in this ending chapter :)

**Yuki-Kamishiro****: **I'm speechless *red as a tomato*

**Syaoran Li Clow****:** it's always a pleasure to read your long-ish reviews. I've kinda missed them actually. Why his mom? So are you guys friends now? (it's fine if you don't tell me though. I get that it's personal) Oh, and yes… this will be the last chapter.

**Mikoto**: haha I'm evil? Anyway, yeah next month became NEXT NEXT month. :( sorry for the wait. I hope this chapter would make up for the wait...?

**Honulicious****: **the deep voice was… haha read the chapter to know the answer. And about Fate walking out the door… it's also in this chapter. But I guess it's kind of because she thought Nanoha wasn't at the party… partly :D

**Fate Trulygood****, ****Lance58**** & ****Kirstie Anne****: **thanks you guys :))

Quote from a friend: "I've learned that sometimes I just need to be held."

-jace-san

p.s.

Team GEMINI, miss you guys :)) oh and **xYuki**? My life has officially become a teenage drama series O_O and not in a good way.

--

**Of Broken Bones and Promises**

_**A fiction by Jace-san**_

**Chapter 4**

--

"Nanoha," a deep voice greeted behind her.

She turned around and fell into those protective arms.

"Signum! She's gone. I was too late. She… she left." She sobbed against the pink-haired girl.

Signum hushed her and rubbed soothing circles on her back. "Sshh… she isn't gone." She took Nanoha's face in her hands and wiped the girl's tears with her thumbs. "She couldn't leave you even if she wanted to. Now come with me."

Nanoha was puzzled but followed her friend anyway. Signum led her to an empty table in the corner.

"What are we—"

"Turn the chair around," Signum said.

"What?"

"The chair in front of you; turn it around," she repeated.

Nanoha took a step forward and did as she was told.

What lay on top of the chair made Nanoha's heart melt: a lone blue teddy bear with the cutest heart-shaped nose and a large white bow for a tie, a white rose nestled in its fuzzy arms and a note tied to its stem.

"Oh my god…" Nanoha said, her voice breaking.

Signum handed her the rose along with the sheet of paper attached to it.

'_No thorns,'_ Nanoha though as she gingerly untied the ribbon and read the note.

**I never meant to lie to you, especially about the reunion. But I know how much you love  
your parents. At the time, I thought if they didn't like me, you'd leave and find someone  
else.**

**I should've known better than to doubt you, to lie to you. I know that now.**

**I'm sorry.**

**Nanoha, if you could find it in your heart to forgive me, I'd like to make it up to you… even  
if it is just as a friend.**

**Yours forever,  
Fate**

A single tear rolled down Nanoha's cheek and onto the sheet of paper.

"You know, Nanoha, she quit the team the other day."

Nanoha looked at the older girl, stunned.

"It's funny really. She marched up to the athletics office and told Ginga that she didn't want to be in the team anymore. Ginga asked her why and all she said was, 'There are more important things in my life.' She looked pretty cool marching out of the office too," Signum let out a chuckled before continuing. "She may have been calm and collected for the past few days, but I'd go to your dorm room a few times and find her staring at a picture of you."

Nanoha eyes went back to the direction of the front door.

Signum followed Nanoha's eye and smirked. "Here," she said, handing the teddy bear to the brunette. "…wouldn't want to leave this behind." Nanoha nodded, took the adorable stuffed toy and walked past Signum.

Signum felt a pair of arms wrap around her waist from behind.

"You're amazing."

Turning around to face her girlfriend, Signum placed a lingering kiss on her forehead. "I try," she said smugly, resting her hands on Shamal's hips. "Guess what."

"What?"

"We have the dorm room all to ourselves now," she said, a loving smile on her lips.

Shamal smiled and nuzzled her head on the crook of her girlfriend's neck.

--

Bang!

"Chrono, is she here?" Nanoha asked, breathless.

"What?" Chrono replied, not tearing his eyes off the TV screen.

"Fate… where is she?" Nanoha asked, walking toward the stairs.

"I thought she was at your house?"

"What?" Nanoha stopped mid-step.

"Yeah, she said she was waiting for you to get back from Hayate's party." He finally looked at her. "Why do you have a teddy be—"

"'Kay thanks!" Nanoha took off her heels, grabbed a pair of flip-flops from the shoe rack by the front door and bolted for her house. She took out her phone from the pocket of her dress and dialed a familiar number.

"Hello Ginga-san…?"

--

Fate was sitting in the hallway outside Nanoha's room, her arms wrapped around her legs. She heard loud thuds coming from the foot of the stairs. It sounded like Big Foot coming up the steps wearing wooden clogs.

"Fate," Nanoha said, panting.

The blonde instantly got up on her feet.

"Nanoha," she began, noticing the blue bear and white rose Nanoha held against her chest. "You got my present," she smiled warily. "Okay look, I'm sorry for yelling at you, for making you mad, for lying to you, for hurting you… I'm sorry for _everything_! I know what I did was wrong. I was being stupid, insensitive, irresponsible, deceitful, and thoughtless—feel free to stop me—idiotic, reckless and… and that's all I can think of."

"Don't forget 'selfish'."

"Okay. I was stupid, insensitive, irresponsible, deceitful, thoughtless, idiotic, reckless and _selfish_."

Nanoha took a step forward. "You're also adorable, loving," another step. "…caring, funny," then a third, "…gorgeous, a closet romantic…" She stopped a few inches from Fate, a bright smile gracing her lips. Nanoha trailed a finger along Fate's jaw before cupping her cheek, its warmth making the blonde sigh. "I don't know how I survived a week without seeing you."

Fate pressed her lips against Nanoha's palm. "I missed you too. I'm sorry," she said, taking Nanoha's hand in hers.

"What happened to your hand?" Nanoha exclaimed, grabbing Fate's hand and carefully examining it. Each finger had at least two band-aids wrapped around it.

"Nothing," Fate replied, pulling her hand back as if it had been electrocuted.

Nanoha refused to let go. "_Fate_-_chan_."

"Well," she took the white rose from the teddy bear. "I had to, um… Okay fine. I forgot to tell the florist to cut off all the thorns so," she closed her eyes. "Ipulledthemalloutbyhand."

Silence.

"Nanoha…? Nano—"

Nanoha's lips claimed hers in a passionate kiss.

"What… was that… for?" Fate asked when Nanoha pulled away, her eyes still seeing stars.

Nanoha beamed at her.

"For being you."

As if on impulse, Fate wrapped her arms around the shorter girl's waist. "I should be myself more often, then."

"I told Ginga-san to take you back… to the team, I mean."

Fate's arms tensed at the statement.

"What? But how—?"

Nanoha nuzzled her nose against Fate's cheek as she said, "I can be very persuasive."

"But… but I… I thought you—" She stuttered adorably.

"Fate-chan, repeat after me: Thank you Nanoha."

Fate grinned. "Thank you Nanoha."

"But…" Nanoha said pulling away slightly.

"There's a 'but'?" Fate asked dolefully.

"Yes. If you get a serious injury _again_, you're off the team. 'Kay?" She said cheerfully. "Nyahaha."

Fate shook her head in disbelief and pulled the Nanoha closer, burying her face into the girl's hair. "You're impossible!"

"And you love me for it," she countered, placing a chaste kiss on the hollow of Fate's neck sending jolts of electricity down the blonde's spine.

"Yeah. Hey, Nanoha?"

"Hmm?"

"I forgot to tell you something."

"Oka~y what?"

Fate took a step back. "You look beautiful in that dress," she complimented.

"Nyahaha. I _know_ I do," Nanoha said in a matter-of-factly tone.

"There's something else I wanted to tell you. But first, you need to close your eyes."

Nanoha raised her brow and eyed the blonde skeptically. But after receiving a shrug, she complied.

Fate pressed a light kiss on Nanoha's temple, "I…"

Her eyelids, "love…"

Her lips, "you."

…and rested her forehead against Nanoha's.

"Mmm… I love you too Fate-chan."

--

A week later, Nanoha _fractured_ her ankle.

She fell from the second step of the bleachers…

…

…

…while watching Fate's first volleyball game.

**The end.**

**--**

**ANY ERRORS? **Tell me if you guys spot any. Imma correct 'em right away.

So… penny for your thoughts? **Read and review** please. Oh and check out the **POLE** on my **PROFILE**. **VOTE**!!

See you guys soon… I hope?

-jace-san


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